IndiGo begins Digi Yatra trials for international flights at seven airports
Hyderabad: IndiGo and Digi Yatra have started trials of contactless, biometric-based journeys for international passengers on select international flights. The trials cover seven Indian airports: Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Cochin, Mumbai, Chennai and Amritsar. IndiGo describes itself as India’s preferred airline and one of the world’s fastest-growing carriers.
The trials began with a BETA phase at the end of October and will run through December 2026. The initiative extends Digi Yatra’s decentralised digital identity platform beyond domestic air travel. It is set to transform the international departure experience for Indian travellers.
Eligible passengers can use the biometric system at terminal entry, the Security Hold Areas (SHA) and boarding gates. The trials are open to Indian nationals who hold valid e-passports and fly on select international IndiGo flights.
Neetan Chopra, Chief Digital and Information Officer at IndiGo, said the airline is committed to making air travel more seamless, efficient and customer centric. He called technology a key catalyst in that shift. IndiGo was part of the technical Proof of Concept earlier this year, and he said the airline is pleased to partner with Digi Yatra on the trials.
Chopra described the extension of secure digital identity and biometric technologies to international departures as a significant step for Indian aviation. He said the deployment combines stronger security, convenience and operational efficiency. Such innovations, he added, will play a key role in shaping the future of passenger travel.
Suresh Khadakbhavi, CEO of the Digi Yatra Foundation, said Digi Yatra has shown how digital identity can simplify domestic air travel. The start of the trials, he said, is an important step towards offering the same experience to eligible Indian nationals travelling abroad. He said interoperability with global frameworks, such as IATA’s One ID and ICAO’s Public Key Directory (PKD), will be an important part of this journey. These links will help explore how e-passport-based digital credentials can make cross-border journeys more seamless and secure. Passenger consent, privacy and security will remain central to the experience, he added.
How passengers create an international digital ID
Travellers can generate an international digital ID on their smartphones through the Digi Yatra app. They scan the Machine Readable Zone (MRZ) of their e-passport. They then use Near Field Communication (NFC) to read the chip embedded in the passport.
After a quick biometric verification, the app saves a secure Verifiable Credential (VC) locally in the passenger’s smartphone wallet. This keeps personal data private and decentralised. It also leaves the data entirely under the passenger’s control.
Passengers can upload their boarding pass to the Digi Yatra app for seamless entry into the airport terminal. They must then complete mandatory document verification at the airline check-in counter. After that, they can move through the security hold area and the boarding gates using Digi Yatra’s biometric face authentication.